Doolin Cave

Doolin Cave is a limestone cave in County Clare, Ireland, near Doolin, on the western edge of The Burren. The name Poll an Eidhneáin is an anglicized version of the Irish name Poll an Eidhneáin, which translates as "Ivy Cliff Cave." Because of its development and marketing as a show cave in the early twenty-first century, the cave sparked some debate. It is now known as Doolin Cave and is open to the public.

The Great Stalactite is the cave's most notable feature. This is one of the world's longest known free-hanging stalactites, measuring 7.3 m (24 ft). This figure, however, causes some consternation because it is also variously described as 11 m, 6.2 m, and 6.54 m. It is Europe's longest known free-hanging stalactite, with the three largest in the world located in two caves in Mexico and one in Lebanon's Jeita Grotto.

John and Helen Browne purchased the land on which the cave is located in 1990. The couple made an effort to turn the cave into a show cave. The Speleological Union of Ireland expressed concern that the 30-meter (98-foot) shaft that would have to be blasted to gain access to the cave would damage the stalactite. They also objected to the caving trip being lost to cavers and the cave being a short artificial trip with only one feature. After a lengthy period of court proceedings, financing, and development, the cave was opened to the public in 2006 as a show cave, subject to the conditions of not having a visitor center on-site and limiting visitor numbers. The entrance shaft could not be built with blasting. Instead, the developers used a system in which a hole was drilled and an air expander was placed in the hole to break the rock.

Location: Craggycorradan East, Doolin, Co. Clare, Ireland